The Boggart
by xxlostdreamerxz
Summary: What if Harry had been raised by a Boggart?
1. Chapter 1: A Boggart's Story

**The Boggart**

**By: **xxlostdreamerxz

**Disclaimer: **HP is owned by J.K. Rowling; this fic was created for fun.

**Summary: **Harry is raised by a boggart.

**My Assumptions:** The food source for boggarts are emotions (good, bad, and everything in between); like dementors, they are not visible to Muggles.

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**Chapter 1: A Boggart's Story**

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Once upon a time, there was a boggart. _It_ had been nothing special; merely a normal, terror-inducing magical creature that thrived on instinct; one that would mindlessly eat, sleep, and hunt through life. Though sentient, _it_ had never had any reason to exert any energy on anything as plebeian as _thought. _Well, at least that had been true _before_ it had the misfortunate of stumbling across a particularly vindictive witch. Instead of banishing _the poor boggart _like most magical folk did, the witch, in a moment of cruelty, had cursed and banished _it _to a random muggle neighborhood (where its prey were immune to its powers as _it _was invisible), and bound it to a small cupboard under the stairs.

It was a terrible existence.

Though _it_ had initially fought, screaming mindlessly as it tried unsuccessfully to rattle the walls and break through the door, eventually (after a couple of decades), the creature reluctantly came to terms that escape was impossible. At that point, the poor boggart decided that it needed a new diversion. Having never _studied_ its food source in any real depth, _it_ found the exercise strangely fascinating. Though it took awhile, the boggart slowly began to learn about the _others _that chattered endlessly outside of its door; it listened, pondered, and _thought_.

Half a century passed in a snap.

One day, the boggart had been interrupted mid-musing by the sound of a shrill scream. It unfurled its limbs and shuffled closer to the door. It could hear muffled yelling, a few curses, and loud footsteps that stopped right outside its door.

"I take it he's one of _them,_ Pet?" asked a loud, gruff voice.

A woman's voice answered. "He has to be," she said firmly. "Only a freak would have been left on a doorstep." There was a pause before the woman continued. "But Vernon, we _must_ keep or no. The man that wrote the letter - Dumbledore is supposedly the leader of the freaks and incredibly powerful."

"But we're not freaks," Vernon protested. "This has nothing to do with us."

"I know," she said softly. "But I don't want to risk having them come after our Dudley."

The boggart tilted its head as it heard the argument grow louder and louder. After a couple of minutes, there was a loud creak and the door of the broom closet slammed open. The boggart flinched, automatically darting towards the darkest corner, high in the rafters, as it peaked out - seeing a large, pudgy man put a bundle on the ground.

"He'll be fine here till tomorrow," the man said, looking back at a horse-faced woman with a thin neck. "We'll deal with this later."

The woman nodded and shut the door.

The boggart hesitantly peaked out from the rafters, unfurled its limbs, and crept towards the small bundle on the ground. _It_ knew that whatever was in the bundle was _alive_ as it could feel the emotions wafting off in warm, soothing waves. The first thing that it saw was a curiously shaped lightning bolt scar and burning _green_ eyes. And, surprisingly, _those eyes_ were focused directly on him.

After more than half a century of pure isolation, the boggart couldn't believe its luck. There was a wizarding child in its closet and it could_ see_ him...

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**TBC**

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**Note: **Reviews would be appreciated! I'm doing my best to try to get back into writing, so I'll do my best to try to update consistently but no promises.


	2. Chapter 2: The Experiment

**The Boggart**

**By: xxlostdreamerxz**

**Disclaimer: **HP is owned by J.K. Rowlings; this fic is just for fun.

**My Assumption: **As there is no recorded example of a Boggart's natural form except that it's a "shape-shifter," I'm going to make the character in my fic resemble "Ditto - the Pokemon" - an amorphous (colorless in this case) blob. I stated earlier that Boggarts feed on emotion (they particularly like extremes - pure fear, or undulated happiness/laughter).

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**Chapter 2: **The Experiment

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A human. A _child._

The boggart shuffled in hungry glee. The bundle shifted as the child gurgled happily, bright green eyes watching him curiously. After decades of isolation, the boggart gave into its instincts and shifted.

Or at least tried.

Try as it might, it could _not find any fear_ in the child's mind. _Too young_. Hissing angrily, the boggart pulled back, disgruntled, before angrily reaching out an appendage to poke the bundle. Unfortunately, its powers to limited to those who had the capability to _visualize_ and _understand _their fear.

The child giggled in response.

The boggart blinked, feeling a wave of warm emotion flood towards it. _Happiness._ _Joy._ Hesitantly, it tasted the _emotion, _running its tongue across it, before consuming it whole; it was..._strange_ but after decades of abstinence, the taste of cheer was not as revolting as it had once been.

It was..._okay._

Green eyes met clear, white ones.

_Happiness._ The boggart pondered, staring at the child. Should it try to keep the child _happy?_ It shuffled closer, leaning over the bundle as it took another hungry whiff. _Happiness…it was a possibility. _

The child gurgled softly, reaching out pudgy arms towards the boggart which the creature gainfully ignored.

The boggart's eyes narrowed as it cautiously weighed its options. Not only would the child serve as a consistent food source (abet a subpar one), but the child was _magical._ It was take time, but _one day,_ the little wizard-ling would have the capability and power to release him.

_Freedom._ _Food._

Reaching out its arm-like appendage, it allowed the child to grab ahold. _Warmth._ _Happiness._ The boggart bathed in the emotions before giving the child's fingers a gentle squeeze.

It's mind was made up: until the child gained the power to release the curse, it would take care and raise the boy.

Clear, white eyes stared down at the bundle hungrily.

_Its little wizard-ling._

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**Note: **Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Thank you all for taking the time to jolt down a review for me. Even though I know I take forever to update, I do genuinely appreciate the feedback. So...in the meantime, I'll try to chug out another chapter soon. Please leave a review! Thanks :D


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